Dricus du Plessis claims Kamaru Usman stalling UFC contract

Dricus du Plessis says Kamaru Usman has cold feet about their rumored UFC Oklahoma City main event.

The former middleweight champion posted on Instagram that he signed his bout agreement weeks ago but Usman remains unsigned, MMA Mania reports. "So apparently a little someone agreed to a fight but actually signing the dotted line isn't that easy when you know you're just signing for a show purse," du Plessis wrote. "Smart - Yes. Scared - Definitely."

What's holding up the Usman-du Plessis announcement

The matchup was all but confirmed when Brendan Allen mentioned it at the UFC Vegas 118 post-fight presser, but no official word has come from the promotion. Du Plessis and Usman have history dating to the South African's feud with Israel Adesanya, which included pointed exchanges about African identity and championship legitimacy. Though du Plessis and Adesanya have since made peace, the tension with Usman lingers.

Usman fought at middleweight once before on short notice against Khamzat Chimaev and lost a majority decision. He bounced back with a lopsided win over Joaquin Buckley at 170 pounds but is running out of runway at 39 to chase a second belt. A win over du Plessis would vault him into title contention at 185, especially given his existing victory over Sean Strickland.

Du Plessis closed his post with an apology to fans for the delay and said the holdup is not on his end. The UFC has yet to announce a date for the Oklahoma City card.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Scared? Dricus du Plessis claims ‘little someone’ Kamaru Usman ducking UFC contract